‘The great outdoors’, is a metaphor known to only a few children in this age. Is our modern lifestyle contributing to the decline of our children’s eye health? And how have we, as a modern generation, become complacent in letting our children develop without an important connection to the natural environment? I remember a time when children climbed trees, rolled down hills and slipped off slides in the park. Since then, children’s eyes have been glued to video games, movies and online lessons. It seems we have more screens than our children have ever picked daisies or sticks, and green luscious fields have been reduced to mere inches on a screen.
Our approach to raising our children has evolved quite significantly, parents are more inclined to restrict outdoor time due to safety concerns. This alarming shift in upbringing has gained the title of 'nature deficit disorder'. Although labelling it as a condition may only be considered rhetorical, there is a certainty that children spend an unfavourable amount of time indoors compared to the favourable outdoors. Why has 'simple nature' transformed into the distant 'great outdoors' something so unreachable and unattainable that it bargains with the very existence of humanity and health?
So the real question is are we going to play the waiting game at the cost of our children's eye health or step forward to save this generation and the next?
Seven Outdoor Benefits For Your Child's Eyes
- Enhanced Vision: Spending time outside can help reduce the prevalence of myopia (nearsightedness) which is sharply on the rise. Children should be encouraged to spend at least 2 hours outdoors each day, whether it be for reading, studying, or playing sports.
- Improved academic achievement: Time devoted to nature enhances memory retention and cognitive performance.
- Greater creativity: The capacity for creative thinking can be utilised and developed during outdoor play.
- Better levels of physical fitness: There is a tendency for children to be more active when playing outdoors.
- Decreased anxiety and restlessness: Spending time outside is calming, boosts mood, and lessens stress. Because objects move more slowly when compared to a screen, it can also improve a child's attention span and, in turn, enhance their cognitive development.
- Bone strength: Children who spend time outside are less likely to develop issues with bones, heart disease, diabetes, and various conditions because their exposure to sunlight assists in preventing vitamin D deficiency.
- Improved sleep: Natural sleep patterns in children can be maintained with plenty of physical movement and exposure to daylight.
The benefits are endless, just as the horizon of change, we can make a foundation for plastering and protecting children in their development of Myopia. The possibility for exploration and learning via contact and sensation, the stimulation of the clean, crisp air and infinite skies are all free gifts from the Earth. We must actively involve Mother Nature back into our daily lives, not as a chore but as a reconnection to our natural world, protecting the health of our eyes for finer vision and quality of life. Sight is a gift by which we must continue to actively put efforts into maintaining it. When looking up we must experience a vast stretch of blue (the sky) instead of concrete ceilings, so let's ‘raze off the roof’ together and move our indoor habits outside to help slow the progression of our children's myopia.
"It is not a question of finding a ‘cure’ for myopia, it is a question of allowing our future children to live in an environment that is close to nature, and natural light. This allows your child's eyes to naturally develop and stop the condition of myopia in the first place. Leave the eye alone and it will be perfect. This concept is not only true for myopia but for many of the climate crises we are currently facing."- John Bolger, Myopia Specialist at My-iClinic.
At My-clinic, we aim to prevent long-term eye damage in children and manage childhood myopia. We welcome parents to find out more about myopia and read testimonials from happy parents and kids who have received myopia treatment from our skilled doctors and team.
Make an appointment for your child's myopia consultation today. Call our myopia clinic team on 02084458877.
Find out more by Speaking to our team
